The Whole Teacher and Their Faith

Hey. Hey, teacher friend. Welcome back to the Teacher Support Network podcast, where we help teachers create inclusive, collaborative classrooms to support students with disabilities, while taking care of their own wellbeing in the process. I'm Antoine McCoy, and today we're continuing our series, the Whole Teacher Life: Beyond the Lesson Plan, and we're using inspiration from the book, What Really Works by Paul Batz and Tim Schmidt.

We are unpacking the seven Fs that fuel your wellbeing. And those seven Fs are faith, family, finances, fitness, friendships, fun and the future. Last time we talked about the power of a reset, today we're leaning into the foundation behind that, reset your faith. So let me ask you something, teacher friends, what does faith look like to you?

Is this something that shows up in your daily life, or is it something you've been meaning to reconnect with? And here's another quick question. On a scale of one to 10, one being not satisfied and 10 being the most satisfied, how satisfied are you with your spiritual life right now? More importantly, what would move it forward one small step? 

You know, faith looks different for each of us. It could be found in a structured faith tradition like Christianity, Judaism. Islam, Hinduism or Buddhism. It might be rooted in nature, meditation, or just even a quiet personal belief. It's personal, but it's also very powerful for me.

I'm a Christian and faith is the foundation of how I operate in every part of my life. Personal. Professional.  All of it. Most mornings I connect with God through scripture, reading, prayer, and worship music. I also attend my local church. And I'm part of a Men's life community group that keeps me spiritually and emotionally grounded. That rhythm, it really fills me up. It keeps me focused, helps me lead with love with my family, friends, and others, even on the hard days.

That's my walk. And I share it with you, not as a blueprint, but just as a reminder, whatever your faith looks like, it matters and it's worth protecting.

Here's the beautiful part. Your faith doesn't just have to stay at home. It walks into your classroom. Each and every day with you. It can show up like this, maybe in a quiet prayer you say before the bell rings for your students and the teaching day ahead. It could look like listening to peaceful music during your commute, extending grace to that student who's testing your last nerve and every ounce of patience you have within you. We all know that student. It could look like journaling through tough days instead of spiraling. And it can also look like speaking life and hoping to kids who rarely get a chance to hear it, but so desperately need it.

Faith might be internal, but it shows up in our energy, our words, our tone, and just how we simply treat others. When you’re knee deep in lesson plans, behavior challenges, IEP paperwork, grading, and staff meetings, faith is what whispers…Hey, you're not alone. Keep going. You're still making a difference.

Faith gives you vision when you feel blind to the progress you may be making, and it helps you plant seeds even when you are not sure they're growing.  It says you are really doing better than you think you are.

So here's your reflection prompt for this week. What does faith look like to you and how can you lean into it more this week? 

Your action step?

Take 10-15  minutes this week to reconnect with your faith. It could be: Reading a sacred text, like scripture,  taking a quiet walk, meditating, praying, or just sitting in stillness. Whatever you decide, let it fill your cup. Remember, faith looks different for each of us, but it's something we all need.

All right. That's it for now.

This episode has been great. I hope you have some things to think about in terms of the whole teacher and who you are and how your faith is a part of that. Thank you for being here, teacher fam. If any of this episode spoke to you, please share with a fellow educator who needs a reminder to stay anchored.

Also, visit the show notes for this episode and look under the resource section for tools to stay connected and to help support you in your teaching journey. And hey, in the next episode, we'll continue in our journey through the whole teacher's life with a topic that hits close to home for all of us. We're diving into the second F- Family and how it shapes, stretches, and supports the whole teacher.

You won't want to miss it. So until next time, teacher fam, have a great week and God bless.

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